


Tribulation

by CatLady86



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Attempted Kidnapping, Gen, Hurt, Kinkmeme, Murder, Trauma, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 07:49:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13542933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatLady86/pseuds/CatLady86
Summary: A teenage Gladio is invited to play one day with the Prince, but unforeseen events lead to the Shield to do something that will end in grief for them both.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt can be found here: https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/4398.html?thread=8553774#cmt8553774

“What do you do as a Shield?” a young Gladio asks, looking up at his father with big and curious amber eyes.

“I protect the King from any harm that may befall him.” he says and lays a hand on his son’s head. “Just as you will someday.”

The boy looks up with excitement. “Do you beat up bad guys Papa?”

“When they try to harm the King, then yes.”

“That’s so cool! Do you then lock the bad guys up in jail?” 

“Sometimes, yes.” Clarus says, a slight frown forming on his face.

“Sometimes?”

The elder Amicitia crouches down before his son, resting his hands on his shoulders. “There are certain situations where that isn’t an option, especially when your Liege’s life is at stake.”

“Oh, okay.” the child chirps, blissfully unaware of what exactly his Father had meant. 

He would find out though, when he was thirteen. The day had started out like any other, with Gladio awakening at sunrise to join his father for breakfast before the two headed off for their daily duties. He did his morning training with the other Crownsguard trainees, sparred with the Marshal, and studied with his tutor before heading off to meet up with the Prince. But unlike most days, he was not teaching Noctis combat techniques, instead they were heading to the park as part of the younger boy’s reward for exceeding expectations with his training. Noct is already waiting in the front hall along with a couple Guards, looking eager to go as he holds a soccer ball against his chest. But then the Prince gets a perturbed look on his face as he turns to the older boy.

“Why are you still wearing your fatigues?”

“Because I’m still on duty.”

“But we’re going to the park to play, you’re going to get all dirty.” Noctis says and lets a cheeky smile form on his face. “Especially when I knock you to the ground.”

“You wish, shrimpy.” Gladio teases and tousles the smaller boy’s hair. “But I don’t have any other clothing and my workout clothes are soaked with sweat.”

“Well, then we can just stop by your home and you can change.” 

Gladio lets a sigh escape, knowing he has no other choice but to agree. While the two had not started off on good terms, more on Gladio’s end then Noct’s, the two have been becoming good friends that will grow even stronger as they age; just as their Fathers have. They leave with the two guards in toe, climbing into a car and setting off, first stopping at the older boy’s home. Gladio quickly changes into some old clothes he doesn’t mind getting dirty or ripped and heads back outside to the awaiting car. But Gladio stops and looks at something odd, seeing an unfamiliar car with tinted windows parked in front of his neighbor’s house, with what appears to be three people just sitting inside. 

“Hurry up Gladio!” the younger boy calls out, leaning partially out of the open window. 

“I’m coming.” he says, pushing his weariness aside. For all he knows, the people in the car could be acquaintances of his neighbors.

The two boys talk for the rest of the car ride, with Noctis rambling on about some game or show he watched while Gladio attempts to stir the conversation towards their upcoming training regiment that makes the younger boy groan. Upon arrival, one of the guards exits the car and canvases the area before returning and giving the all clear for the Prince to leave the car. Noctis hops out of the car excitedly, immediately dropping his ball and kicking it around as he waits for Gladio to join him. The teen begins climbing out of the vehicle, but stops and furrows his brows, seeing the car that was at his neighbor's drive by unnaturally slow before turning down a street adjacent to the park. One of the guards notice his stare and leans down next to him.

“Notice something?”

“I think a car was following us, dark gray with tinted windows, they turned down that road.” 

“All right, I’ll go check it out.” the man says and looks to the teen. “Keep an eye on his Highness and don’t let anything happen to him.”

“I won’t, I swear on my family name.” Gladio says, placing a fist over his heart. 

The man nods and goes to speak momentarily with the other guard before heading off. Gladio lets a sigh escape him, hoping that nothing is up with that vehicle.

“Come on Gladio.” Noct says and pulls on his arm. “I’m going to try and kick the ball through those two trees while you try to block me.”

“Can I guarantee you won’t just kick the ball at me?” 

Noct looks up at him with a wily grin. “Sure, okay.” 

The two boys get to playing, with Noctis attempting to kick the ball passed Gladio, but he just swats it away with ease. 

“Are you even trying?” Gladio teases at the red-faced Prince.

“Yes! I think we need to find trees that are spaced out more, your huge body is taking up too much space.”

The older man looks at both trees and then extends his arms out, nowhere near touching either. “I think you’re just a crap shot.”

Gladio chuckles at the hissy look Noct gives him, but then stops and looks in question at the guard. The man keeps checking his watch before pacing around, looking sort of nervous. That’s when Gladio remembers the other guard still hasn’t come back and he’s been gone for almost half an hour. His attention is pulled back to the Prince when the boy nails him in the gut with the soccer ball, catching him by surprise and making him grunt.

“Something wrong Gladio?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Well, okay. I’m going to run to the bathroom quick, keep an eye on my ball.”

Gladio waves him off and keeps an eye on the younger boy as he runs over to the rest area. He takes another look over at the guard, seeing him checking his watch again and looking unnerved as he talks to someone on his phone. The guard hangs up and sighs before walking over to Gladio.

“Agnelli hasn’t come back yet, I called in for more guards to come here. I’m going to do a quick sweep of the area, keep the Prince occupied and don’t let him out of your sight.”

“Yes sir.”

The guard lays his hand on the teen’s head reassuringly and heads off, calling someone on his phone as he leaves. Gladio turns and heads over to the restroom, waiting for the Prince to come out. 

“All right, let’s get back to playing.” Noct says, wide grin on his face. “And I will beat you this time.”

“We’ll see about that.”

They get back to their game, with the same outcome as before with Gladio blocking every one of the younger boy’s attempts. Noct lets an annoyed groan and reels his foot back, then kicks the ball with all his might, sending it barreling past Gladio and into some bushes.

“Ha! I got passed you!”

“Yeah, for once.” Gladio snorts and heads into the bushes to look for the ball. “Good job though. Ah, here it is.” he says and carefully maneuvers from the shrubbery so as to not get snagged on any branches. “All right yo- Noct?”

The teen looks around frantically, trying to see where the Prince had gotten to. He couldn’t have moved far, Gladio didn’t even have his back turned for a minute. The teen holds the ball under one arm and heads over to where a food stand is, thinking, hoping that maybe the young boy got hungry and went there. He didn’t. Gladio sucks in a deep breath and spins around, looking to see if he can spot him anywhere. Panic begins to set in, he feels like he’s going to burst into tears. Then he spots him walking along with a guard, wait, no, that wasn’t one of the guards. This was someone Gladio had never seen before. 

“Hey!” he calls out to them and begins walking over, trying to keep himself composed and not startle the man with Noct. “I found the ball, you ready to play again!?”

Noctis turns and looks gleefully at the older boy, he goes to step towards him but gets snatched up by the man who begins to run. It wasn’t a guard, it’s a kidnapper. Gladio begins to run after them, quickly gaining ground on them as they run from the park and head towards the street. Gladio about has a heart attack as the man narrowly avoids getting himself and the Prince hit by a car, then dashing into an alley with the squirming boy who is doing all he can to try and break free. The young Shield to be makes it safely across the street and heads into the alley after them, turning a corner and quickly stopping.

“Not another move kid or I’ll slit his throat.” the man snaps, holding one arm tightly around the frightened Prince while the other holds a knife to the boy’s neck. 

Gladio keeps his eyes trained on the would-be kidnapper, watching to see if he slips up and gives him an opening to free Noctis. A phone begins to ring and the man’s face grows annoyed, him adjusting his knife-wielding arm to where he still holds the Prince while grabbing for his phone with the other. 

“Hey, I got em’, but there’s this punk ass kid trying to play hero. So hurry and pull the damn car into the alley.” 

The man hangs up and resumes his staredown with the teen, him slowly backing up and dragging the Prince with him. The sound of car tires skidding and a crash startles them, with the man loosening his grip on the young boy and turning his head to look behind himself. Gladio seizes this opportunity and hurls the soccer ball he is still holding onto, hitting the man in the head and stunning him. Noctis breaks free and runs to Gladio, latching onto him and sniffling.

“Come on, let's get out of here and go somewhere safe until the other guards arrive.” 

Noctis looks up to him and nods. “Okay.”

The two turn back and prepare to escape but the man lunges at Gladio, knocking him into the wall roughly. The teen gives a kick to the man’s stomach, sending him backward, and attempts to flee again only to get the back of his collar snatched up. The man goes to plunge his knife into the teen’s back, but the attack is parried and the knife dropped after Gladio twists the man’s wrist. The man recoils back and delivers a hard punch to Gladio’s jaw, splitting his lip and causing him to lose his balance but not before he grabs the man’s shirt to drag him down with him. The two struggle on the ground, exchanging blows while trying to gain the upper, but the older and much larger man overpowers Gladio and delivers two hard punches to the side of his head. He holds his aching cranium, hearing a slight ringing in his ear from the blows, and feels the weight on his chest go away. Gladio winces and watches as the man grabs up Noctis again, the boy putting up a hell of a fight by kicking and punching at the man. But then the man backhands the child violently, stunning him as blood gushes from his nose. The next few moments were mostly a blur to the teen, he doesn’t even remember grabbing up the dropped knife, or thrusting it into the man’s back. The man lets out a pained grunt and shoves Noct aside and lunges at Gladio, the two tussling on the ground again. But this time the teen has the upper hand, rage and adrenaline fueling him. He plunges the knife into the man’s chest, then again, and again. The would-be kidnapper begins to grunt and attempts to shove the teen off, even managing to ram his fist into the boy’s nose, but Gladio doesn’t stop. It was his duty to protect the Prince, his future King, at any and all costs. He continues to stab the man, his blood splattering all around and on the teen. Finally, the knife is thrust into the man’s throat, him no longer putting up a fight and just twitching as a gurgling noise escapes his mouth, before blood pools out and down his face. Gladio pants frantically, slowly regaining his mind and looking up to check on the other boy, finding him looking back in horror. 

“Noct? What’s wr-” Gladio stops and looks at his hands, it finally hitting him at what he has just done when he sees them drenched in blood. “Oh, oh gods.”

He had just killed someone. A wave of emotions overtakes the teen, him crawling off the lifeless body and vomiting profusely on the ground. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to go to prison? Be kicked out of his house and stripped of his family name? Have his role as Shield taken away. Noct. He had seen it, seen him kill this man. Gladio looks up again to see the Prince still starring in stunned horror at the corpse, lower lip trembling as tears roll down his face. 

“Highness!? Gladiolus!?” 

“H, here!” Gladio calls out, voice breaking as he does. 

A couple of the Crownsguards rush over to them, stopping momentarily to look at the dead body before one of them rushes to Noct’s side. She takes off her jacket and wraps it around the boy before helping him stand and turning him away from the awful sight. 

“Noct?” Gladio says softly and feels a deep regret when the Prince turns further away, not even looking at him as he’s lead away. 

The teen slowly breaks down, trying desperately to wipe the blood off his hands and onto his pants but failing. The other guard crouches down in front of the teen, giving him a look of understanding before turning to the dead man.

“You did nothing wrong Gladiolus, that man was trying to kidnap his Highness and you thwarted him. You’re a hero.”

“But I, I-” he says, breath hitching. 

The man rests his hand on the teen’s head. “Did what you had to, as a Shield.”

But Gladio doesn’t feel any better, he had just killed a man in front of his young Liege, he can only imagine what was going through the child’s head as he watched him violently murder someone. He’s probably traumatized now and hates him, won’t want him as his Shield and friend. Gladio begins to feel sick again and vomits harshly.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s been four days since it happened, but Gladio still hasn’t come to terms with what he had done. Even though everyone keeps praising him for it and telling him he did what he had to in order to protect the Prince, the sounds of the man gurgling and all that blood haunt him. Sleep hasn’t even been a luxury away from his thoughts, he has nightmares about it and can’t fall back asleep because of them. But the worst part, is what Noctis is dealing with. He had overheard from a couple maids that the young Prince will wake up at night screaming and crying, he barely eats, and when Ignis had accidentally cut his finger open in front of Noct the younger boy ran shrieking from the room. The Prince’s training has been put on hold as well due to his weakened mental state, they even gave Gladio a day to recuperate, but it didn’t help him. So now he just ambles through the training hall like a zombie, avoiding the gazes of his fellow trainees as he goes to train with some weights. But an arm is held in front of him, stopping his movements and making him sigh. 

“I want to train, I want to get stronger.”

“You need to take care of your mind right now, not your body.” Cor tells him and nudges the teen away. 

But Gladio won’t budge and just looks down at the ground. “Marshal, what happened the first time you-” The teen’s face contorts in one of despair. “you took someone’s life?”

Cor closes his eyes and thinks for a bit before looking back to the boy. “I was around your age when it happened. I had petulantly taken off one night after your father handed me my ass because I instigated a fight with him. I didn’t make it very far before I was snatched up by some thugs. I got beaten up badly, but then your father came to my rescue. He had subdued the men easily and began to walk away when one of them got back up and lunged at him. I quickly jumped in between them and drew my sword, planning to parry the attack but the man moved differently then I assumed and I disemboweled him instead.”

“What happened after that?”

“I felt the same way you did, also had nightmares. It did take a bit of time to get over, but eventually you’ll become numb to it.” he says, beginning to frown. “It’ll be like second nature to you.”

“My father said the same thing when I asked him about his first.” Gladio says and sighs. “I don’t think I’ll ever get use to it.” 

Cor lays his hand on the teen’s shoulder consolingly before giving him another nudge away from the weight room. So Gladio decides to take a walk outdoors and get some fresh air. But once he steps outside, he sees someone else is out there. Misty blue eyes look over at him and Gladio freezes. 

“Gladio.” Noct eaks out meekly. 

The teen doesn’t know if he wants to run, pass out, or cry. Gods, what was he to do? He doesn’t want Noct to freak out from seeing him, remember back to that horrible thing he did. Then to his horror, Noctis begins to cry. Gladio goes pale and drops to his knees, body shaking and feeling nauseous. But then small arms wrap around him and a head rests against his chest. Gladio regains himself and rests his hand against the back of Noct’s head while gently patting his back.

“I’m so sorry Noctis, I- I shouldn't have-”

“No, you had no other choice.” he says and sniffles. “I overheard my dad saying those men were going to hold me for ransom and then kill me once they got the money. So you saved me Gladio.” 

“Ah.” Gladio murmurs. He is feeling slightly better, knowing what would have happened if he didn’t stop the man. “How, have you been doing?”

Noctis sits back, face falling. “I can’t really sleep or eat, but I started talking to this nice lady and she’s helping me through it. Maybe, maybe you can come with?”

“We’ll see.” Gladio says and bites his lower lip. “So, you don’t hate me?”

“I don’t hate you. I was just really scared and then when I saw all the blood I remembered back to when I was attacked and my nanny died.” 

Ah yes, Gladio remembers hearing about that. Now he’s feeling terrible again. But then Noct looks up at him and smiles.

“I want to start training again once I’m better, so that way I can’t get strong and defend myself better. So then you won’t be made to kill anyone and hurt yourself.”

Gladio smiles and nods. “I want to get stronger too, so that I can take hits better or stop someone without killing them either.” 

The two boys make promises that they will both get stronger, so that hopefully a situation like that won’t ever happen again. Years later, another incident happens that tests just how far Gladio has come with his training in order to keep his promise not to kill. The drunkard is lead away by the police as Gladio is taken to the hospital to gauge just how significant his wound is and have it patched up as needed. It will leave a scar, but he was able to stand his ground and did not have to harm the man while protecting his Prince, so an outward scar is of no matter to him.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like, come visit me on my [Tumblr](https://catlady1986.tumblr.com/)


End file.
